Tag Archives: repair

Did you know that — statistically speaking — more smartphones are dropped in a toilet on New Year’s Eve compared to any other day of the year?

Actually, that statistic isn’t true.

We literally just made it up right now.

But it would be fair to say parties and water damage done to smartphones go hand-in-hand. Whether it’s dropping your phone in a toilet, spilling a beverage on it, or dropping it in a puddle as you exit a cab, water damage happens…

So with New Year’s Eve just a few days away, let’s hope you aren’t one of the unlucky ones who ends up saying…

(2) Remove the battery if possible. In fact, dismantle as much of your device as you’re able to. This will speed up the drying process and help you to see what exactly got wet.

(3) Contrary to popular belief, don’t immediately reach for a hairdryer. Forcing air into tiny spaces just means you’ll be pushing water further into areas you can’t see or reach. Worse yet, the heat could melt some parts.

(4) Blot dry any moisture you can visibly see. Ensure no residue is left behind. If you need a cleaning solution to remove any sticky fluids, use something like 99% rubbing alcohol or DIELECTRIC spray. Be patient, go slowly, and use a fresh, clean toothbrush to clean out small spaces.

(5) Pack your phone with something absorbent, such as silica packs, rice or pasta. If possible, place your phone near a dehumidifier.

(6) Leave your device off for 48 to 72 hours, until you’re absolutely certain that everything is dry. If you power it back on too quickly while it’s still wet, the damage might be irreversible.

You Can Save Your Smartphone

In a perfect world, electronic devices would be waterproof. Unfortunately, they are not — so take every precaution to avoid getting your smartphone wet in the first place.

We hear stories all the time of people who got their phone wet, dried the surface off with a towel, then carried on using it. It worked as normal for a day or two, then slowly began to lose functionality.

In most cases, this is due to corrosion. Sweet or sticky fluids made contact with the inner parts, and before long, they began to corrode important pieces.

So, please — if you’re one of the unfortunate few who ends up saying, “I spilled water on my phone!” Don’t treat cleanup as a rush job. Take your time. Be thorough. And you just might have a shot at saving your phone from a certain and painful death.

It’s unfortunate that wherever you turn, there’s a possibility that your computer will be overrun by viruses. The best ways to protect yourself include being cautious and installing virus protection, but even those methods are not without fault. Arm yourself with knowledge so that you can do your best to prevent viruses from ruining your PC.

The Top 5 Most Common Ways to Get Viruses on Your PC

You opened an infected email.

Most modern email clients have built-in virus scanning, but some don’t, and none are 100% effective at protecting your computer from virus-infested attachments. So, exercise caution.

Some best practices:

Don’t open emails from people you don’t know.

Even if you do know the sender, beware of strange subject lines and other warning signs

Use a built-in scanner to scan an email before opening it or downloading attachments

Get a total protection antivirus software solution to reinforce the aforementioned best practices

You’re surfing an unsafe website.

This is perhaps one of the most common ways to get viruses on your PC. It’s hard to put a finger exactly on what makes a website safe or unsafe. Some are more obvious than others, but some have threats hidden in plain sight. A good rule of thumb is that if your gut is telling you that something’s wrong, it probably is.

Furthermore, if you’re served a popup that claims your computer is infected… don’t click it! The only notifications you should trust are the ones that clearly come from your antivirus software. Beware of any and all popups, especially those that make crazy claims.

You assume that antivirus software fully protects you.

Antivirus software will protect you from many threats, but it’s not infallible. Just as people are constantly changing, so are viruses. Even if you just downloaded updates for your antivirus software, there may already be a new threat that wasn’t accounted for.

A best practice is to update antivirus software on a daily basis, and be careful when surfing the internet and opening emails.

…Or you don’t use antivirus software at all.

A lot of people mistakenly think they can just be “smart,” and avoid viruses by being extra-careful while surfing online and going through emails. The plain fact of the matter is that some things just slip through the cracks.

It’s impossible to be constantly vigilant, especially when some virus problems are hidden from plain sight, or disguised in something that doesn’t look like a threat. So instead of taking a chance, install anti-virus software. It’s more than worth the investment.

You’re not using a firewall.

A firewall is an important piece of the puzzle for protecting your PC from outside threats. Most PCs have a built-in firewall that you can activate, but there are other solutions online depending on how much protection you think your PC needs.

If you’ve had your PC for more than a year or two, inevitably it will have gotten slower with use. It happens to the best of us, no matter what precautions we take. The good news is that it doesn’t have to stay that way.

You CAN make your PC run faster.

Here’s how:

Use Anti-Virus software and update it often.

The Mac clan will tell you that their computers never get viruses, but that is rapidly changing. It used to be that everyone had a PC and few had a Mac computer of any type. Thus, most viruses were designed for the masses.

The times are changing, and Mac and PC are almost equal opportunity for viruses. As such, it’s important to protect your computer with Anti-Virus software, and to download updates as fast as they come up.

As in real life, viruses mutate and change all the time. An old version of Anti-Virus software is not going to protect your computer as well as a new version. Our Desktop Virus Removal service may be of interest if your computer has a lot of viruses to fight.

Upgrade your RAM.

It’s likely that you bought a PC for what you needed at the time, not considering other potential uses for your PC (like Netflix!). There’s often room to upgrade, and if you want to make your PC run faster, one of the main things you should look to do is upgrade your RAM.

RAM is what increases a PC’s processing power, which is what allows you to multitask with many programs open and running… fast… at a time. We do hardware repairs and upgrades if you’re interested in upgrading your RAM!

Upgrade your Hard drive.

This is probably the most expensive option short of upgrading your entire computer. Maybe your PC runs alright when you’re using it, but does it take forever to start up? You may want to consider upgrading from a hard drive to a solid state drive.

A solid state drive has no moving parts, making it a more efficient drive for your computer. Though it is a new technology, they are getting more affordable at a rapid pace. We do hardware repairs and upgrades if you’re interested in upgrading your hard drive!

Close any unused programs.

Do you have a lot of programs that open at startup? Or maybe you open a lot when you’re on your PC, but don’t remember to close them after you’re done using them. One of the easiest ways to make your computer faster is simply to close any programs you aren’t using. It will free up your computer’s hardware to focus on other tasks.

Clear your internet cache.

While surfing the web, we download a lot of files… some that we don’t even realize! Every once in awhile, it’s important to clear the internet cache of all the files we don’t really need or want, and make room for new ones.

Regularly restart and shut down your computer.

Here’s an obvious tip that often goes ignored. Give your PC a break! You need one, and your computer can definitely benefit from one as well. So if you’re done with work for the day, shut down your computer.

The thing about electronics is that they have a finite lifespan. What was once a powerful laptop used for business or gaming is now sitting in a closet and collecting dust.

Perhaps the hardware wore out, or maybe the technology is too outdated for your machine to do anything useful.

Whatever the case, consumers are often left wondering what to do with an old laptop.

In this short guide, we’ll provide you with a few different ideas.

Repair It

This option might seem a little too obvious.

If your laptop has a few broken parts – such as a damaged screen or a loose power connection – it is easy enough to to repair. In most cases, the cost of the repair will be less than buying a new laptop.

If you live in the Cleveland area, take a peek at our services page to see what we can do for you.

Give It One Job

If you’re wondering what to do with an old laptop that’s in otherwise perfect working condition, consider re-purposing it. In other words, give it just one simple task to do.

For instance, you could mount it to the wall and use it as a stationary calendar or photo frame. If you have a few broken keys, a battery that won’t hold a charge, or a damaged CD drive – it really won’t matter.

At Target PC Repair, we have seen our fair share of shattered smartphone screens. Smartphones get dropped, kicked, stepped on, sat on, run over… and, well, just about any bad thing that could happen to a smartphone screen generally will.

If you find your smartphone to be in the unfortunate situation of having a damaged screen, you have a few options. Here’s what you can do about your shattered smartphone screen:

1. Ignore It

Nobody relishes the thought of having an ugly crack or series of cracks running through their smartphone screen. That is especially true if it is a new device that just got damaged.

That said, in many cases, the phone and touchscreen are otherwise still functional. If you find yourself short on funds, and your phone still works, you can always grin and bear it for the time being.

2. Borrow One

A lot of people have an older smartphone kicking around that they no longer use. Do you have a favor to cash in with a friend or a family member? Perhaps you could borrow their unused device until you have the funds available to repair or replace your damaged device.

3. Replace It

You have a couple of different options here. For example, if your contract with your wireless carrier is about to renew, you may be eligible for an early upgrade.

If not, you could always explore buying a used replacement. eBay and Amazon might have something suitable, and you might even be able to get a few dollars back for selling your used device with a shattered smartphone screen. As a last resort online, you could always check out what’s on Craigslist.

If you would prefer to search for a replacement device offline, most of us have a local electronics store that sells gently used items. This is scraping the bottom of the barrel, but you could always try a local pawn shop, a flea market, or even a yard sale.

Finally, if all else fails, you could simply bite the bullet and buy a new smartphone outright… although that isn’t likely to be a very budget-friendly option, it might be the easiest.

4. Repair It

If you know how to, or you wish to learn by watching amateur tutorial videos on YouTube, you could attempt to replace your own smattered smartphone screen.

This can be a very cost-effective option if done correctly, although in many cases it works out to be more expensive than paying a professional to replace it the first time. If you cause further damage when replacing your smartphone screen, or install the replacement screen incorrectly, you may still need to pay a professional to clean up the mess you made.

If you are going to repair it, you would be best to bring it to a professional the first time.

Should you happen to live near Cleveland, Ohio, we would be happy to serve you at Target PC Repair. You can call us at (440) 725-0642, contact us online, or just drop by our shop in Willoughby, Ohio.